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Directions to sites on Long Island and Fire Island

Fire Island National Seashore includes sites on Fire Island, a barrier island located off of Long Island's South Shore, and the William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach on Long Island.

You can get to Fire Island by various modes of transportation. Please allow time for Long Island traffic conditions in your travel plans and, if you are traveling by train or passenger ferry, always be aware of current schedules. Find tips on traffic and public transportation.

By Car

You can drive to either end of Fire Island, but there are no paved roads between these two points.

Fire Island Lighthouse: From the Long Island Expressway (I-495) take Exit 53S to Sagtikos Parkway to Southern State Parkway (2 exits) to Exit 40S onto Robert Moses Causeway. From Sunrise Highway (NY-27E) take exit 41S onto Robert Moses Causeway. Take Robert Moses Causeway to Robert Moses State Park Field # 5 (fee charged in season) for access to the Fire Island Lighthouse.

Wilderness Visitor Center: Take Exit 68 from the Long Island Expressway (I-495) or Exit 58S from Sunrise Highway (NY-27E) onto William Floyd Parkway (Route 46). Take Route 46 to Smith Point County Park for access to the Wilderness Visitor Center. Parking is available in the Smith Point County Park parking lot (fee is charged in season) just east of the Wilderness Visitor Center, a small round building to your right as you are headed south.

William Floyd Estate: Take Exit 68 from the Long Island Expressway (I-495) or Exit 58S from Sunrise Highway (NY-27E) onto the William Floyd Parkway (Route 46). Take Route 46 approximately three miles south to Havenwood Drive traffic light. There will be a William Floyd Estate sign on your right and a Mastic Beach Business District sign on your left. Make a left onto Havenwood Drive which turns into Neighborhood Road. Continue approximately 2 miles east to end of Neighborhood Road. Turn left onto Park Drive. The park entrance is located approximately 1/4 mile on your right.

Long Island Railroad (LIRR) stations are near the William Floyd Estate and three mainland ferry terminals for Fire Island. From Penn Station in New York City, take the Montauk Branch of the LIRR to Mastic/Shirley for the William Floyd Estate or to Bay Shore, Sayville, or Patchogue to access ferry terminals.

The William Floyd Estate is more than three miles from the Mastic/Shirley station. A taxi may be the best way to travel from the station to the Estate.

Fire Island Ferries travel from Bay Shore to western Fire Island communities. To get to the Fire Island Lighthouse, take the ferry to Kismet and then take a water taxi to the lighthouse.

The Davis Park Ferry Company runs ferries to Watch Hill via the Patchogue-Watch Hill Ferry Terminal on West Avenue in Patchogue; and, to Davis Park via the Davis Park Ferry at the from the Sandspit Marina on Brightwood Street in Patchogue.

You can easily walk from the Patchogue station to the Watch Hill ferry terminal, but a taxi or van may be welcomed for the longer distance between the other train stations and the William Floyd Estate or the Bay Shore, Sayville, and Davis Park Ferries.

Be sure to check the LIRR train schedules before your travel. Special one-day beach get-away packages are available during the summer for Kismet/Fire Island Lighthouse, Watch Hill, and Sailors Haven.

By Bus

Bus routes operated by Suffolk County Transit provide access to the park's gateway communities of Mastic Beach and Smith Point County Park, Patchogue, Sayville and Bay Shore, New York.

You may have to walk or take a taxi to get from the bus stop to the ferry terminal providing access to your destination in the park.

By Bicycle

You may ride your bike to the William Floyd Estate and several entry points for Fire Island National Seashore, but designated bike routes are not yet fully established on Long Island.

Bicycles are not permitted in the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness area, on boardwalks or other pedestrian walks at National Park Service properties, and may not be ridden around park marinas. Details on bicycling on Fire Island depend on the community you visit.

By Private Boat

Fire Island can be reached by some private vessels. Marinas are located on the bay side of Fire Island, between Moriches Inlet and Fire Island Inlet. Plan your trip by boat.

By Plane

The closest commercial airport on Long Island is the Islip MacArthur Airport (ISP). You can also fly into LaGuardia (LGA) or Kennedy (JFK) airports closer to New York City. Rental cars, taxis, van shuttles or trains can get you to the ferry terminal providing access to your destination in the park. From JFK, the Airtrain links directly to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) at Jamaica Station.